In her series of photographs, Robin Schwartz documents domesticated primates living in their ‘unnatural’ habitats. Rather than attempting to address the political ramifications of humans keeping wild animals in their homes, Schwartz focuses on capturing the unique and very diverse personalities of these primates in simple black and white on-flash photography. Schwartz says of the experience:

Each primate’s unique personality is recorded…I usually photographed within three feet of each primate, with a 35mm lens, never through bars or plexi-glass cages. I made friends with the primates and made subsequent visits. Developing a relationship was essential to capture the intensity of eye contact, which shows a consciousness of me.

Robin Schwartz’s photographs are in the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art. To view more shots from the series, visit her website here.